If the Orioles are going to shake themselves out of their early-season doldrums, these next nine games are the time to do it.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
It seems kind of ridiculous to say that 13 games into the season, the Orioles are approaching a pivotal stretch of their schedule. But that doesn’t make it untrue.
Just two weeks have elapsed in the 2025 campaign and the Birds already look frighteningly similar to the uninspiring crew that shambled through the second half of 2024. Their injury-ravaged starting rotation is having trouble keeping the team in games. Their offense, which on paper should be a strength, goes completely silent for days on end. They seem to be missing a spark, with a frustrating tendency to shut down when they fall behind early in the game.
That’s why the Orioles’ nine-game homestand that starts tonight is so important. This is the longest stretch of home games they’ll have all year, playing in front of friendly fans against three teams — the Blue Jays, Guardians, and Reds — who aren’t the most intimidating opponents. (Toronto is the only one of those three that’s currently above .500.)
What happens over these next nine games will reveal a lot about this team. If they can get their offense clicking again, garner a winning record on this homestand, and hopefully welcome Zach Eflin back from the IL right after it ends, then it’ll go a long way to bringing O’s fans back from the brink of panic.
But if this homestand continues the way that the season has played out so far, with more frustrating losses, inept pitching, and a general lack of fight, the Orioles could find themselves further behind the eight ball with a much murkier path forward.
Please, Orioles. Choose option A, would you?
Links
‘We’re not panicking’: Orioles working through early-season challenges – MLB.com
The Orioles are saying all the right things for now. Of course, backing up those words with actions would mean a lot more.
Orioles unlucky 13 games into season and hoping for immediate improvements – School of Roch
There is an element of unluckiness to the Orioles’ early struggles. But mainly they’ve just been bad.
MASN reduces number of Orioles games Jim Palmer will call – The Baltimore Sun
Well, this really stinks. With everything that Jim Palmer means to this organization, the least the Orioles could do is let him make his own decision about his workload. Were any fans clamoring for him to announce fewer games?
Why are so many Orioles’ pitchers hurt? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Because the baseball gods hate us, I guess?
Orioles players give playoff bonus share to Harlem Park Elementary/Middle – The Baltimore Banner
This is pretty cool! It would have been even cooler if the O’s had advanced further in the postseason so they’d have a larger playoff share to donate, but I suppose you can’t have everything.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Four ex-Orioles were born on this day: outfielder Alejandro De Aza (41), infielder Steve Scarsone (59), and the late catcher Willie Royster (b. 1954, d. 2015) and left-hander Art Quirk (b. 1937, d. 2014).
On this date in 2002, the Orioles set a franchise record by scoring 12 runs in an inning, doing the historic damage in the bottom of the sixth against the Devil Rays. The O’s actually trailed, 6-3, heading into the inning, but led off with back-to-back homers by Gerónimo Gil and Mike Bordick and never looked back. The rest of the inning went as follows: single, flyout, single, RBI single, RBI double, walk, two-run double, strikeout, two-run single, single, walk, two-run single, two-run single, flyout. The O’s sent 16 batters to the plate in the frame and tallied 11 hits off of three Rays pitchers in an eventual 15-6 win.
And on this day in 2023, Ryan Mountcastle tied an Orioles record with 9 RBIs in a 12-8 win over the Athletics at Camden Yards. Mountcastle had a sac fly in the first, RBI single in the third, three-run homer in the fifth, and a grand slam in the seventh.
Random Orioles game of the day
Let’s see how the Orioles did on this date in a random year. Random number generator selects: 1994.
On April 11, 1994, the O’s beat the Tigers, 7-4, in their first road game of the season. Current O’s broadcaster Ben McDonald pitched a strong game, holding Detroit to two runs in 7.2 innings and striking out eight. The Orioles did all their scoring in two innings, plating four in the third and three in the sixth. Rafael Palmeiro went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to continue his torrid start to his O’s career, batting .348/.423/.783 in his first six games as an Oriole.